1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to jewelry and personal accessories, and, more particularly, to money clips.
2. The Background Art
Money clips, paper clips, binder clips, and a host of other re-usable, removable clamps and clips exist. Many clips have very specialized purposes. Clips may function well in an application for which they are designed. On the other hand, many clips are adapted to uses other than those for which they are designed with equal ease. By the same token, many clips operate only marginally well for the tasks to which they were specifically adapted. Money clips seem to fit into this last category.
One difficulty with money clips is the extreme variation in the conditions to which they are exposed. For example, a money clip may be used to hold a single paper bill folded in half. In this circumstance, many money clips do not exert sufficient force to hold the bill in the clip.
Money clips typically have a base portion that is more-or-less flat. Connected at one end of the base is usually a clamp or lever. Levers vary in sophistication, complexity, shape, material, and the like. A clip designed to provide proper force, contact force, on a bill clamped between the lever and the base, may be designed.
However, users of money clips often put many bills into the clip. A wad of 20 to 40 bills is not uncommon. After a clip, or, more properly, the lever of a clip has been extended to accept a large stack of bills, the connection between the lever and the base is usually yielded. Sometimes this is referred to as having sprung the clip. Upon yielding, the material of a clip has moved from the mechanical elastic stress range to the plastic range.
Therefore, the clip takes on a permanent set, a new shape. The material may have the same strength and the same mechanical spring constant. Nevertheless, the lever will be displaced, and the contact force on a small stack of bills will be substantially reduced, if extant. That is, upon yielding, money clips often are sprung to a slightly open position. Thus, the lever will exert no force on a stack of less than some number of bills amounting to some minimum thickness. Because the lever no longer contacts the base, the lever must be deflected away from the base a sufficient distance to give rise to a force corresponding to the deflection of the lever from the base.
Many individuals do not find a wallet a convenience. Money may not be kept in a wallet. Credit cards may not be kept in a wallet. Oftentimes, credit cards and cash are kept in a money clip. Cash and credit cards may be kept in separate money clips. Although credit cards are not folded, their securement in a clip is important. Likewise, day planners, day books, folders and the like are oftentimes used for organizing materials, including money, credit cards and the like. A clip suitable for inclusion in such a book is also desirable.
Because money clips tend to be spring easily, some users estimate that 90 to 98% of all money clips manufactured are not in use. People who seriously need functional money clips often feel relegated to using elastic bands to hold money. Money clips will not hold more than a relatively few bills consistently, without losing its spring. As a money clip may be required to hold 1 or 30 (or more) bills, those available in the marketplace do not have the range of motion, nor the permanency of resilience required for such regular duty.
What is needed is a money clip having great resilience, adequate contact force, a wide range of motion, and, particularly, a very wide opening capacity for holding more than 30 bills, without yielding.